Roasted Potato Salad With Chicken & Chutney

Last night’s recipe was a winner.  Less of a salad and more of a happy mix-up, the tangy mango chutney dressing and pinch of cayenne turn every-night chicken and potatoes into something a lot more memorable.  This’ll take you about 45 minutes from counter to table if you roast your potatoes, but if you need to shorten it up, see my directions for steaming the potatoes following the recipe.  Two thumbs up from D. on this one!

Roasted Potato Salad With Chicken & Chutney (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Scrub the potatoes and quarter them.  Combine the potatoes and 2 T. of the oil in a baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Roast, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, rub the chicken with 1 T. of the oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and curry powder to taste.  Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes each side.  Remove from heat, let rest 5 minutes.  Cut into bite-sized chunks.

Meanwhile, make the dressing.  Measure the chutney, cutting up any large pieces (kitchen shears work well for this).  In a small bowl combine the chutney, 1 T. olive oil, the cayenne pepper, lemon juice and 1 t. curry powder. 

Place the spinach in a large bowl.  Add the hot potatoes and chicken to the spinach and toss gently to wilt the spinach.  Stir in the chutney dressing (you may not want to use all of it – use some and add more to taste).  Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

Serves 4.

If you wanted to short-cut the potatoes, I think this would be just as good if you quartered the potatoes and steamed them for 20 minutes or so over hot water.  For richer flavor, you could toss them with a little olive oil after steaming, and definitely don’t skip the salt and pepper.

By the way, are you buying conventional (i.e., non-organic) potatoes?  You might want to spring for organic.  A potato get its nutrients through its skin, so it’s like a little sponge for any toxic chemicals that come down the food and water pipeline – and there are lots.  Taters are treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.  That’s a lot of crud for you and yours to ingest . . . and since organic potatoes are only slightly more expensive than conventional, why take the risk?

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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